


live in the seeds we’ve sown

by green_piggy



Series: bond writes for xbc femslash week 2021 [2]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Femslash February, Flowers, Fluff, Gift Giving, Headcanon, Spoilers, the lack of love for vale is appalling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:07:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29294145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/green_piggy/pseuds/green_piggy
Summary: Vale sets out early in the morning to gather some flowers for her next weaving project. Nia soon joins her.
Relationships: Mei | Vale/Nia
Series: bond writes for xbc femslash week 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149800
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7
Collections: Xenoblade Femslash Week 2021





	live in the seeds we’ve sown

**Author's Note:**

> written for day 2's prompt "wildflowers"! i just think that vale is neat and that nia should smooch some girls

It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining, children were laughing—

_ “Ugh.” _

...And Vale was out of bed  _ way  _ too early.

For crying out loud, it was still light outside!  _ Disgustingly  _ so: Vale had already walked past squirrels running up trees, birdsong chattering in her ears. Okay, so they weren’t the worst sensations in the world, but they sure as hell weren’t ones that she was familiar with.

Still. Vale was on a mission, and she was determined to see it through. Sneaking out of the inn without anyone else noticing had been a colossal task in and of itself; she was growing more convinced by the day that Mòrag just didn’t  _ sleep.  _ She’d been up when Vale had crept into the main corridor to check at the crack of dawn, nursing in her hands a cup of coffee so potent that Vale had been able to smell it from the doorway.

Thankfully, Vale was nothing if quick thinking, and had instead made her retreat by climbing out of her room’s window, her heels clanking against the rotting wooden panels outside when she stumbled and almost tripped. Apart from that, she’d been the dictionary definition of sneaky. She had poked her head back in, just to double check, and all of the other ladies had been in various states of sleeping.

Nia snored  _ really  _ loudly. She was kind of adorable, though, with the way she tucked in on herself in her sleep, like an actual cat.

Off-topic, she reminded herself.

The Torigoth Flower Patch was only a small distance from the town’s outskirts, and it had been easy enough to spook off the few curled up Mahi Pippitos that had been resting on top — on  _ top! —  _ of the countless flowers.

Panda pansies were tiny little things, wide-bloomed white flowers with speckles of black on them, typically clumping together at the petals’ edges. When weaved together, along with some other materials, they made a gorgeous Rizzente Mantle.

They were really, really,  _ really  _ small, though, so Vale had to get down on her hands and knees in the dirt to forage for them. The sun rose higher and higher in the sky as she worked, the Cloud Sea bopping along at its peak. A thick blanket of clouds covered the horizon beyond what Vale could see; at least she wouldn’t run the risk of somehow accidentally stumbling off the Titan and falling.

Vale didn’t know how long she’d been at it, stuffing those pathetic panda pansies into a satchel she’d brought along with her, before she heard gentle footsteps brush the grass behind her. Were her senses not as honed as they were, she probably would have missed them completely.

She turned around with a grunt. With the sunshine gimmering off her white robes and exposed Core Crystal, Nia looked almost gorgeous. Behind her, Vale could see the buds of almost luminescent blue flowers sprouting out from the slight imprints of her footsteps. How difficult would it be to weave  _ those  _ into her fabrics..?

_ “There  _ ya are,” came Nia’s relieved voice. She stopped next to Vale and crouched down, looking between her half-full satchel and the grass with a slight frown. “What’s this all about, eh?”

Vale humphed. Against her will, she could feel her cheeks begin to colour. “What? A girl can’t come out and sniff some flowers?”

Nia broke out into cackles, grinning so widely that tears sprung in the corners of her eyes. She stood up and clutched her side. “Oh, that is a  _ good  _ one, Vale!”

Scowling, Vale twisted her head away. “Who says that I was joking?”

“The day that you willingly get up to smell some flowers is the day that Mòrag stops drinking coffee.” Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, still grinning, Nia kneeled back down again, wobbling slightly on the tips of her toes. She had to spread her legs out wide, otherwise the ridiculously long spikes on the end of her shoes would have stabbed right through her shins. Those things were so  _ impractical —  _ and they weren’t even that good looking! “C’mon, Vale. I’m your Driver, yeah?” Nia rested her cheek on her hand, her elbow on her thigh. “You can tell me why you’re out so early.”

“It’s none of your business.”

"Were you trying to be quiet climbin' out of that window?"

"Ah-!" Vale gritted her teeth and finally turned to Nia. "You heard that?"

"I'd be amazed if you didn't wake up Morytha itself."

Vale said nothing. Instead, she pushed herself onto her feet with a grunt.  _ “Hmph.  _ I’m done now, anyway.”

Nia raised her eyebrows as she tilted her head upwards. “Already?”

“I’ve been out here for  _ way  _ too long.” Satchel slapping against her leg as she stretched, Vale spread her arms out wide and let out a mighty yawn. “I’m gonna get some shuteye.”

“I suppose you were up pretty early,” Nia murmured. “Sure, go ahead. You’re all right, yeah?”

Vale could feel her grumpiness melt away in an instance at the genuine concern in her Driver’s voice. “Yeah, I’m good. You?”

“All the better for seeing you!” Nia jumped upwards faster than a startled cat. “I’ll stay out here for a bit longer. It’s a pretty morning.”

How was she acting as if she  _ hadn’t  _ just said something super embarrassing and mortifying, Vale did not know. What she did know was that, when she brought her hand to her cheek, it was almost burning; from what, she didn’t know. “W-well. I’ll. Uh.” She gestured vaguely towards Torigoth. “I’ll be at the inn. Come back whenever, I guess.”

Nia grinned. The morning sunrise was creeping behind her, and somehow made that smile appear all the more radiant. Vale had to tear her gaze away. “Sure! See ya soon!”

“...Yeah.”

Although not a fan of them herself, Vale made sure to save a plateful of Cream Orange Parathas for NIa. Wouldn’t do to have her Driver go hungry, after all.

Still. That didn’t explain why Nia’s blinding smile upon seeing them made her stomach flip and her heart sing.

* * *

Meske was out travelling — the little note on the front of her door said that she was delivering clothing to some refugees displaced across the various Titans — so Vale had the house to herself today. She was spreading out her materials on the table, setting out the Digging Sandflies in their jars, when the door creaked open. The fact that someone was here at all was surprising, given that the sun was beginning to dip low in the Leftherian sky, but Vale’s heart gave a strange little leap when she saw Nia at the door. She was in her yellow jumpsuit, hair short, arms crossed over her chest.

“You mind if I stay here for a bit?”

Only then did Vale notice the little wooden box in her hand. It was hard to make it out in the dim light and from this distance, but it looked like some sort of board game. “What’s that?”

Nia closed the door behind her and did a peak out of the nearest window before she spoke. “Oh, this?” A gentle blue glow enveloped her, and a second later, her Flesh Eater outfit was on her body, long hair pooling down her back. It looked so  _ soft;  _ Vale had the brief thought of wanting to run her hands through it, then paused and mentally went  _ “what the hell.” _

“Yeah.”

“Sneak-King Thief, apparently.” She flipped it in her hand, the box rattling with what sounded like lots of tiny pieces inside. “Caught my eye while we were in Argentum the other day.”

Vale scoffed. “Well. Hope you’re not expectin’ me to play with you. Board games aren’t my thing.”

“Nah.” Nia gave an almost-shy smile. “Just… wanted to hang out with you for a bit, I suppose.”

Vale blinked. Opened her mouth. Shut it. Opened it again.  _ “...Huh.” _

Before her own face could brighten, though, Nia’s reddened to an impressive shade, highlighting the white marks on her cheeks. “I-I mean—” Her accent came out thick and strong. “—if ya’d rather be by yerself, then—”

“D-don’t be ridiculous,” Vale blurted out before Nia could leave. “I’m not even the person who owns this place. And you’re my Driver—”

“Me bein’ your Driver shouldn’t mean that you can’t shoo me out!” Nia snapped. She winced and pulled into herself a second later, the fire in her eyes extinguishing into ashes of guilt. “Just… don’t do stuff ‘cause you feel like you  _ have  _ to.”

Vale huffed. “C’mon. I know some Blades have a problem with sayin’ no, but I sure as hell don’t. If I didn’t want you here, I’d kick you out.”

“Yeah, well.” Nia smiled back, looking more relaxed. She kicked a stool close to another one and sprawled out on it, resting the board game on the other. “Just making sure.”

“You don’t need to… but thanks.”

They fell into an amicable silence after that. Vale readied the machine, ensuring that she had all of the necessary items, while Nia unpacked her board game and took out the pieces gingerly. She had this thing where, when she was concentrating, her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth. If Vale  _ had  _ to put a word to it, she might have called it cute. Maybe. On a very good day.

Just as she was about to start—

“Hey. Question.”

With a dramatic sigh, Vale heaved her body to turn on the stool towards Nia. “Yeah?”

“How come you always use those bugs in everything you weave?”

She had  _ noticed  _ that? “The Digging Sandflies?” Not that they were doing much digging, on account of being dead. Vale thought that whoever named them hadn’t really planned for the post-mortem side of things. “I dunno. They produce some liquid stuff that makes my weaves real tight and smooth.”

“And you discovered that  _ how..?” _

Vale shrugged. “I just… knew it, I guess? Maybe past me found that out or something.” Not that she was really too bothered by that thought. Every Blade had countless previous lives. No point getting worked up over something that she had no way of remembering, and that nobody else living could tell her about. Wasn’t like any of her previous Drivers were around.

Still… the thought of losing Nia — of  _ forgetting  _ her — made her chest tighten with something that felt a little like fear.

_ “Huh.”  _ Nia tapped a wooden Nopon-shaped piece against her cheek. “I swear, we carry over the weirdest sub-conscious knowledge.”

That got a huff of laughter out of Vale. “Yeah, no kiddin’.” When Nia put her piece down, Vale’s eyes followed and continued downwards, to the tips of those hideous shoes. And then, before she could second-guess herself— “If we’re talking about strange crap; what about those flowers you just… produce, sometimes?”

Nia tilted her head. “Flowers..?” A beat, then: “Oh, right!  _ Those  _ flowers!”

There was a tiny patch of grass within Nia’s touching distance from where the wooden flooring had rotted away. Nia tapped her foot against it; when she lifted it, several lightly glowing flowers, the same shade as from when she’d transformed, sprouted out and wiggled, as though clambering for Nia’s touch.

“Yeah, ‘em.” Vale had to tear her gaze away from them back to Nia’s face. She looked… self-conscious? “Do you think I could weave those in with my clothing?”

Nia raised her eyebrows high. “You really wanna try that?”

“Why not?” Vale cracked her knuckles on each hand with a grin. Interiorly, her chest was threatening to hammer itself out of her body, and she couldn’t work out why for the life of her. “I’m always down for a challenge.”

“Huh. Colour me surprised.” Nia reached out and plucked the luminous flowers. “I don’t even have a name for these things. Can’t say it’s something anyone’s really said anything about before.”

“Well, those people suck.” Vale reached over to grab them from Nia’s hand. “They’re gorgeous.”

When her hand brushed over Nia’s, Nia’s other hand rested over Vale’s own. Startling, she glanced up to the softest smile she’d ever seen Nia give anyone.

“Thanks, Vale.”

Smooth as ever, Vale yanked her hand away without a word, her cheeks going hot. Nia’s cackling laughter echoed off the house’s ancient walls.

Nia kept growing the flowers until Vale had an adequate number of them, grinning the entire time. Vale couldn’t get a word out at the sight of it, some odd emotion choking her throat and making it impossible to speak.

They fell into a comfortable silence, not a single word spoken between them. The only sounds were that of the nightlife outside, mingling with the chatter of villagers getting ready to retire for the night, along with the consistent, melodic tip-tap of the loom as Vale worked on it.

By the time she was done, her back was aching, shoulders taut. She turned around to see Nia leaning against the wall, still scowling at the board game in front of her. The pieces were set up in some manner that Vale had no hope of even beginning to understand… not that Nia looked as though she understood much more.

Still, there was pride brimming in her chest. She tugged the finished Rizzente Mantle off the loom and whistled. “All done!”

Nia scrambled upright and almost toppled off the stool. “Oh?”

“I, uh.” Now here came the embarrassing part. “I made it for you, actually.” Vale twisted her head away and took a sudden great interest in the wood bugs scuttling over the wall. She thrust out the mantle. “S-so! Here it is! For you!”

Silence.

“Look, you don’t  _ have  _ to take it—”

“I-it’s not that,” Nia whispered, voice sounding wet. Vale’s head snapped back to her. Nia had her eyes squeezed tight, her finger rubbing at the corner of each of them. “I just — I’ve never had anyone do this kinda stuff for me before, y’know?” She gave a choked laugh. “It’s — a lot.”

“Well, screw them. They should.” Vale stepped forward, heels clicking. “Here. Put it on.”

“Are you—”

_ “Yep.” _

Nia fell silent. There was a smile tugging on her face as Vale got to work.

Tugging the mantle on was surprisingly difficult — Nia had to pull through her long hair, her ears twitching when the collar finally wiggled past her head. Once it was resting on her shoulders, Vale fussed around her, evening out the odd wrinkle and patting down the material, making sure that it was sitting just right.

In the darkness, it was difficult to make out the colour of the mantle, or any of the details that Vale had so painstakingly weaved into it.

What  _ wasn’t  _ difficult to see was the softly glowing strands of blue weaved throughout. Vale had been careful to only add in a flower occasionally, as to not overdo it, and she’d done a damn fine job if she said so herself. As Nia lifted her arms, gawking at herself with wide eyes, the fabric shimmered like ether lines.

“It’s perfect!” Nia cried. “I  _ love  _ it — thank you,  _ thank you!” _

Nia’s arms latched around Vale and pulled her tight against her. Vale’s arms scrambled in the air behind her, panic surging through her. When Nia nuzzled her head against Vale’s shoulder, making a noise that sounded an  _ awful  _ lot like a cat’s purr, Vale let herself smile and returned the hug.

“You’re welcome,” she mumbled.

Because she  _ was.  _ Damn it, Nia deserved the world and more, and Vale would gladly weave an entire Titan stitch-by-stitch if she could give her what she deserved.

**Author's Note:**

> [ [twitter](https://twitter.com/greenpiggles) ]
> 
> “why the fuck does nia randomly produce flowers” because i think it’s neat to add in little details about how a blade’s powers might affect them in daily life. when she’s not in combat and she’s happy, nia keeps a much looser grip on her healing powers. the accelerated growth of cells results in her ether producing flowers whenever she’s on grass or any living matter.
> 
> kudos and/or comments rock, and be sure to check out everyone else's work! have a great day~


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